Project Dawnstars
by lovelyBRN13
Summary: A mysterious group of unicorns known as the Storytellers. A corrupted princess who can't help but destroy everything in her path. A pony so desperate to save the ones they hold dear to them to relive their lives over and over again to make everything right. They are all tied together by the Dawnstars Project, and it's the only thing to save them all. AU. M for violence later on.
1. Prologue

**Hello, and welcome to my first My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction, Project Dawnstars! This is the first part of two in the Project Dawnstars duo, and my first fanfiction that I'm posting here on , so the formatting's bound to be a little strange at first. In fact, I've already had formatting issues with this thing, and I have no clue what I'm doing. Hopefully these are fixed this time, and you can actually read it. If not, can somebody help me, please?**

**Well, hopefully, there's no problems with this, and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Prologue: The night rain's revenge against the sun**

The unicorn looked around outside cautiously, a cloak covering all but her hooves and muzzle. Nopony in sight. She quickly went inside, shutting all of the blinders and locking the door. She took out of the bag she was carrying a stack of parchment paper, a fountain pen, and a well of ink. She dipped the pen into the ink and began writing as fast as she could.

It was always a rush to her, this forbidden business. Writing whatever she wanted to happen, and trying not to get caught. She had been doing this for almost two years, and knew the punishment for being caught would be.

One of her good friends, after all, had been captured, but escaped and lived in hiding until he was found again. She didn't know what happened to him, and didn't want to find out, either. All she knew from him was to never, ever get caught.

It was merely redundant ringing in her ears since she started this.

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on her door. She looked up for a split second, but crawled under the table, which had a long white tablecloth draped overtop, hoping that her cloak disguised the glow coming from her horn. She hoped the tablecloth didn't give her away, either, if they were using light magic.

The pounding came again. The door was kicked open, and at least ten unicorns and pegasi donned in armour of the Royal Guard flooded the small house.

"Where are they?!" One of the pegasi shouted. "There's papers and broken pens everywhere, They must be around here somewhere!" He turned to one of the unicorns. "You! You sensed unicorn magic around here earlier, didn't you?"

"I'm sure I sensed unicorn magic around here somewhere..." One of the unicorn guards murmured, and closed his eyes, his horn glowing softly. He walked over to the table, where his horn grew brighter. He lifted the table with his magic.

The pegasus grinned when he saw the unicorn scribbling rapidly with her magic on the parchment. As the Royal Guard officer tried to grab her, she teleported to the doorway, where she turned and ran, the guards behind her, stumbling and slipping in the mud.

Suddenly, she turned around and tackled the guard right behind her. The other guards surrounded her, but she fought back, dodging their blows and running the opposite way, deeper into the town. The guards, of course, soon followed.

Looming ahead of her was her target: The clock tower, tall and mysterious, and on this starless and moonless rain streaked night, ominous and frightening. If she could get there, she would be safe.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she approached the clock tower, only to be knocked down by one of the pegasus guards. She fought him off, only to be held down again. She screamed for help and shook the guards off, but it still wasn't enough. She was attacked from the side, and her head hit the ground first, tinnitus setting in before black dots swam in front of her eyes, and she fell into unconsciousness.

She fell just a few steps from the clock tower that had silently watched everything unfold, and was struck by lightning, causing everything to crumble away in a bright flash of light.

It was just how she wrote it to be before she was captured.

* * *

The rain splashed against the marble and glass balcony, droplets scattering all about. Luna sighed, her breath coming out in ragged clouds. She looked up to the sky, which was filled with nothing but black. The clouds had rolled over Canterlot in the afternoon, but the sky didn't open up until dusk, forcing Luna to have to sense the moon in order to raise it into the sky.

She scanned the area, watching quietly. All was still, as usual. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw some slight movement. She called out, but stopped when she realized that it was Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's former student, now a princess herself. Celestia had invited Twilight back to Canterlot to attend a royal court meeting, and she and her dragon partner, Spike, didn't get there until late into the afternoon. When they arrived, everything was chaotic, and had to help until evening, and were given a light supper and sent into the bedchamber prepared for them to rest for the court meeting. Luna watched Twilight with a strange sort of intensity. She seemed to be in a sort of daze, as if under a spell. She sat down and leaned her front legs onto the edge of the balcony, looking out at something beyond the rain. A soft wind blew her mane back.

It made Luna's heart ache tremendously.

Luna also stared at the rain, letting the memories she always kept locked deep inside her permeate her thoughts. She didn't used to abhor the rain as much as she did, which was natural, considering the fact that water fell underneath one of the elements of the moon. She used to love the rain, and splash around in it in euphoria.

Luna shook her head. She couldn't stand those memories anymore. Besides, she had changed now. She was no longer the weak, feeble Luna who relied on her older sister Celestia for everything. No, that Luna was somepony else, somepony who no longer existed.

She was now Luna, the alicorn who raised the moon.

She would never let those memories stop her from being anything but that.

Ever.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle looked out at the falling rain. She got out of bed and opened her balcony doors, then sat down at the edge, leaning on her front legs.

"So, it has finally come to pass, has it?" She asked. She paused, as if listening to somepony's reply. "Yes, it is quite risky, doing this so soon. But, we honestly don't have a choice, do we?" Another pause. "The sun is becoming too powerful too soon. If we let this go on for too long, we'll be the ones banished, not her." Another pause, and Twilight picked up a small cup, about to take a sip from it, when she heard the sound of something stirring. She turned and saw Spike awake, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You're awake." Twilight said.

"Twilight, who're you talkin' to?" Spike asked, still half asleep. "Are you alright?"

Twilight smiled and let out a small 'mii.' "I'm just talking to myself. Don't worry about me, Spike. Go back to sleep."

Spike nodded and lowered his head again, and was soon snoring softly. Twilight walked back inside, taking the cup with her. She closed the balcony doors and swirled the crimson liquid around softly.

"Yes, it has already been decided." Twilight said, taking a sip of her drink. "The sun has no choice but to die."


	2. Arc 1, Set 1, Chapter 1

**So, before we begin with the actual story, I have to explain a few things:**

**The way this story works is that it's very similar to the way the story in Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni worked. If anybody is unfamiliar with this anime, the way it was set up was that it was at first told like a normal story, until an event in which somebody died took place(There are people who die but is an exception to this), and the story reset, so the next episode would have similar aspects to what happened previously, but it was like it never happened.**

**If my poor explanation just made your head hurt, go watch the anime yourself and you'll understand what I'm trying to say. There's a dubbed and subbed version up until the second season, then it's only subbed, but you only need to watch the first season, unless you want to know what exactly is going on. Oh, but there's a lot of blood and gore in it, and a few scenes that I watched and felt uncomfortable watching because of that, but once you get past those parts, it's amazing.**

**Anyway, the way Project Dawnstars works is that there's a specific arc, in which a certain number of sets take place. The arcs don't repeat, but the sets do, and the arcs follow the main storyline, but change with a new set. So the events of Arc 1, Set 1 might not change Arc 2's course, but Arc 1, Set 2 might, even if there are more sets in between.**

**If you can't understand it, I'm sorry for making this so weird, and you'll see what I mean when we get to that part.**

**Well, I hope you enjoy anyway.**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is not owned by me. It belongs to Lauren Faust, Hasbro, and DHX.**

* * *

**Beginning Arc  
****Set of Normalcy****  
****Chapter 1: The court meeting**

* * *

A soft knock on the door awoke Twilight the next morning. She rubbed her eyes with one hoof and instantly noticed that the bottle and cup from the night before were still on her dresser. She put them inside one of the dresser drawers and opened the door, revealing a still half-asleep Luna.

"Oh, Luna." Twilight greeted. "Are you here to pick me up for court?" She looked outside the window. "It's sunrise... Does court usually start this early?"

"It didn't, long ago..." Luna said softly. She smiled, then said, "Well, it does now, I suppose. As soon the sun is fully risen, court will start. Let's get over to the courtroom. We wouldn't want to be late, now, after all."

Twilight nodded and followed Luna to the courtroom, a beautiful pale sky blue tinted glass building in a separate area from the rest of the castle. Rich mahogany benches lined the sides, and a lush crimson red carpet covered the center leading up to four golden thrones, each one with one of the princesses' Cutie Marks at the top. Twilight instantly noticed that Celestia and Luna's thrones were higher than hers and Candence's.

"Go ahead and take your seat, Twilight. I'll be over in a few minutes." Luna said, then dipped her head low. "Oh, and Twilight, please don't go against my sister's wishes. She can be quite...fickle when it comes to this sort of thing." Twilight was about to ask her to explain what she meant, but Luna was already leaving. She sighed and decided to let the issue be.

Twilight sat alone, watching as more ponies started to come in. She saw Luna come back in and sat up a little straighter as she took her place beside her.

"It appears that Cadence will not be joining us again, as she has her own affairs at the Crystal Empire to take care of." Luna said to Twilight. "A shame, since you haven't talked properly with each other in quite a while." Twilight nodded. "Communication is key in any relationship. Sadly, it's not you who has yet to learn that, it's-"

Celestia entered the room, and everybody stood up, bowing their heads. When she sat down, so did everyone else. Twilight shivered inwardly. It seemed to her like the room's temperature had dropped a few degrees.

"Royal Court is now in session." Celestia said. "Please bring in the first plaintiff."

The two guards nodded and left. When they returned a few seconds later, a unicorn was with them, her mud covered hooves in shackles. Her tawny coat was matted, dull, and bruised, and her curly black mane and tail was also dull, as well as long; her tail trailed on the floor behind her, and her mane nearly reached her shoulders. Her cutie mark was of a tarnished parchment and an old red feather pen.

"What is she here for?" Celestia asked.

"We found her hiding in an abandoned house on the outskirts of a nearby town." One of the guards said. "She fought us off and ran over to an old clock tower that was in the center of town. We managed to capture her just as a bolt of lightning struck it."

"And what relevance does that detail of?" Luna asked.

"The clock tower is located in a shallow dip that collects rainwater." The unicorn said, her dark brown eyes filled with resentment. Her voice was strangely monotone, a touch of hoarseness added to it that made it oddly pleasing to listen to. "The clock tower itself is made of wood, but there's a gold plating on the exterior to protect it from woodrot. There was a storm last night, as well, wasn't there? I think you see my line of logic thus far, Your Majesties?" She bowed deeply.

"Yes, I see it." Celestia replied, trying her best to contain the anger in her voice. "You manipulated your own Story to attempt to kill the guards trying to capture you. Because of your appearance, Cutie Mark, and bravado, I could instantly tell that you were a Storyteller."

"My, my, Princess, I didn't know that you could be that clever at such deductions." The unicorn smirked and began to laugh. "Excellent deduction skills."

"Storyteller? I'm not familiar with that term to describe a unicorn..." Twilight muttered. "I wonder what it means... Luna? Luna, are you alright?"

Luna stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused and shaking. She looked as if she was seeing a terrible vision, or reliving a painful memory.

"Do not humour me, Storyteller." Celestia dryly said. "You do realize what the charges are against you, correct?"

The Storyteller was silent.

"Normally, you would've been just imprisoned in the salt mines for life, but your fierce bravado and quick tounge has made me change my mind. Highest penalty."

The watching ponies began whispering to each other in shock. Celestia slammed down the gavel next to her.

"What say you, Sister?" Celestia asked, turning to Luna. Luna looked shocked for a moment, then nodded.

"Seconded." Luna said coolly, her voice slightly wavering. "Twilight Sparkle, what say you? Shall she receive the highest penalty for her treacherous crime?"

Twilight looked unsure, but she glanced at their faces, and noticed how uncomfortable they looked, as if they knew she was going to make a counter argument.

She didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Very well." Celestia said. "Storyteller, the price for your crime most audacious is the highest penalty-immediate execution. Guards..."

Twilight shrank back in her seat, bile rising in her throat. If she had known that the penalty was execution, then she would've presented a rebuttal right away.

"W-wait!" Twilight found herself shouting. "I present a counter arguement for the defence of this unicorn!"

_No, Twilight__._ Luna's voice said in her head. _It's far too late for that. A Storyteller is a being of great magic and evil. They must be contained like this...there is no hope for her now. Her life has already begun to end._

_But...but that's not fair!_ Twilight replied. _ Why...why can't I stop this...?_

Luna was silent.

Three guards came into the courtroom, one of them holding a pickaxe in their mouth.

"Wait." The Storyteller said. "If anybody is going to kill me, I prefer it to be Twilight."

Everypony in the room was silent. Never before had a death row pony have a specific request on who to kill them.

The Storyteller grinned. "After all, hasn't every other princess already have blood on their hooves? Celestia most of all... Don't you agree, everypony, that Celestia might actually have too much...?"

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then nodded. Luna glanced over at Twilight, who got up and took the pickaxe from the guard. She walked unsteadily to the Storyteller, feeling as if she was not in control of her actions.

"Go ahead." She said. "I'm not afraid. I'm ready to do this." However, the Storyteller suddenly stood up and dipped her head politely before saying loudly, "Everypony gathered, heed my words, for they shall be my last: A calamity shall soon strike Equestria. A calamity that happens once every thousand years. A series of deaths of several ponies once a moon for ten years."

Many ponies gasped when they heard those words. Celestia straightened, her jaw tightly clenched.

The Storyteller continued calmly. "This calamity shall seize Equestria in its tight jaws, and cause everything to crumble. However, there is a way to reverse this before it happens."

Somepony in the crowd shouted, "How do we stop the calamity?"

Somepony else called out, "Yes, Storyteller, tell us!"

"Tell us how to stop the calamity!"

"Tell us, Storyteller, tell us!"

The Storyteller rose up on her hind legs, then came crashing down, putting all of her weight on her front hooves. The courtroom was completely silent.

Then, six simple words filled the air.

"Send the dead back to death." The Storyteller smiled again. "That's how you stop the calamity. One pony in Equestria is not supposed to exist currently, because they have already died before. If you kill that pony during the very beginning of the calamity, the calamity will end, without many ponies suffering. The calamity will still end even if you kill that pony later on, it's just more suffering for everypony."

"But...but how do we find this dead pony?"

"Yes, how do we know who's dead and who's alive?"

The Storyteller nodded. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? You see, there is no way to tell who's dead and who's alive. The dead pony and anypony who's afilated with them...their memories are altered. They would swear on their life that they're alive, but they have no clue if they truly are or not..." She grinned and tossed her hair out of her eyes. "All you have to do is wait for the starting death. Oh, and one more thing: The number of deaths change from moon to moon, and the time varies, as well. So, there's no way to prevent the timing of the deaths."

"Who's the first pony to die?" Somepony asked.

Silence filled the courtroom. Then, the Storyteller replied with a single word.

"...Me."

The courtroom burst into chaos. Many were shouting at Celestia to not kill the Storyteller, others were rushing down to the Storyteller to protect her. The Royal Guard ran to stop the rioting ponies from leaving, pushing them back forcefully.

Suddenly, it felt like several strings were all around Twilight's body. She walked over to the Storyteller, pickaxe still in her possesion. She rose up on her hind legs, swung the pickaxe upside down, and drove it into the Storyteller's throat. Blood splashed onto her pelt and muzzle, some getting into her mouth, wide open in a wild scream. The Storyteller fell backwards, the pickaxe still lodged in her throat. The pristine white floor turned crimson as her blood spilled out. She twitched a few times, then was still, her eyes wide open, lying in a large pool of blood.

Twilight stood still, then, numbly, tried to go back to her throne, but it felt like every step was more and more of an effort. Her legs felt weak and gave way, and she collapsed, letting the dizzying images in front of grow hazier, then fade to black, like old film.


	3. Arc 1, Set 1, Chapter 2

**Well, it took a couple of months, but, look, another chapter.**

**By the way, this is the shortest chapter I've ever written for one of my stories on ever. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, I just couldn't think of anything to get it moving in the direction I wanted it to, so you have this.**

**Hopefully the next chapter won't take this long to get out, and that it's much longer.**

* * *

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Lauren Faust and The Hub/Discovery Family.**

**The story belongs to me.**

* * *

**Beginning Arc Set of Normalcy Chapter 2: Discussion**

* * *

When Twilight woke up, she found herself surrounded by swirling shades of blue. She breathed in the heavy scent of rain, chamomile, and rose petals. She let herself relax. The scent was very nostalgic, like she smelled it before, back when she was a filly. The only thing she could think of was the old wardrobe Cadence brought over for dress up, when Twilight would hide in it. But, the imagery didn't match up. She remembered hating hiding in it because it was musty and the smell made her sneeze.

The swirling blue thing Twilight was in moved. She felt around for what she was in, and found a dark blue wing by her front hooves.

"Oh, you're awake."

Luna's voice?

That's when Twilight realized that she wasn't_ in_ something-Luna had been sitting _around_ her, shielding her from the rest of the court.

At least, she _thought_ she was still in the courtroom. She was still slightly discombobulated about everything that happened.

Luna stood up rather hurriedly, looking slightly embarrassed with herself. "I'm sorry if I startled you, it's just that you were shivering, and..." She let her voice trail off. "Are you alright now?"

Twilight nodded. She looked around to see a small room covered in white, with plain walls and a plain tiled mint green floor. They had both been lying on a thin, rough bed with a rather large and fluffy pillow.

"Where am I?" Twilight asked.

"The infirmary." Luna explained. "We're in the west wing, near the rose gardens and training grounds for the Royal Guard."

"...I see. Luna, what happened after I...?" Twilight responded, then stopped and looked down.

"I understand why you're so nervous, Twilight." Luna said. "What you saw today was difficult. However, I can see in your eyes that you're trying to push through and act as if nothing had happened. Is that how you truly feel?"

Twilight silently nodded. Luna glanced at her slightly.

"Yes." Twilight said aloud. "I don't really want to, but it's all I can think about. In my mind, I just see that scene being played over and over again, like a movie that keeps repeating itself for all eternity..." She glanced around. "I feel like there's too many eyes watching us. Didn't you say that the rose gardens were nearby? Do you think we could ta-?"

"No." Luna coldly interrupted her. A sudden harsh wind pulled at a nearby window. "The rose gardens are strictly forbidden to everypony."

"But, that doesn't make any sense..." Twilight whispered. "If the rose gardens really so forbidden that neither you nor Celestia could enter them, then why do you smell like rose petals?"

The wind blew open the window, sending the curtains flying outward.

"I'm sorry, Twilight." Luna replied, then stopped time using magic. She glanced at Twilight, her face in the middle of a confused shout. Luna galloped out, then turned left and through a narrow corridor, and stopped next to her sister, who was watching the Royal Guards train. She made time resume.

Celestia gasped and stepped back at the sight of Luna suddenly appearing. "I thought I told you not to do that anymore."

Luna bowed her head. "I apologize, sister. Twilight was interrogating me, and it got out of my control."

"Got out of your control in what way?" Celestia asked, her eyes focused on the training.

"She began asking about the rose garden." Luna replied.

"...I see." Celestia replied softly, then said a little louder, "It appears Flash Sentry is doing quite well in his training. I might just have a Champion again."

"You're going to get a Champion, Sister?" Luna asked hesitantly. For Celestia to have a Champion meant that she had enemies to dispose of. Rebels hidden in the shadows.

"The Champion isn't for me, Luna." Celestia said. "It's for Twilight."

Those three words made Luna feel a deep feeling of dread settle in Luna. The mere thought of Twilight of having rebels, when she's done nothing wrong so far...

"I know that you manipulated her." Luna said softly. "You manipulated Twilight to kill that Storyteller."

"Well, nopony else knows that, correct?" Celestia asked coolly, turning to face her sister. "As long as you keep that your little secret, I'm sure that everything will be just fine."

Luna's face hardened with concern and growing impatience. "Are you not concerned at all about Twilight discovering the secret of the rose gardens? You would fight with all you power to keep _her _a secret."

"I thought you were more observant that that, Luna." Celestia said, a snide smile appearing. A strong wind blew through the courtyard, their manes flowing in the breeze softly. "She's already escaped and has made contact with Twilight. She must have found a way to break the spell."

Luna nodded, the quietly walked away, finding Twilight standing at the end of the corridor. Upon hearing her hoofsteps, Twilight turned around, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Why?" She whispered hoarsely. "Why did you imprison her like that...?"


	4. Arc 1, Set 1, Chapter 3

**I regret nothing when writing this chapter.**

* * *

**Beginning Arc**

** Set of Normalcy**

**Chapter 3: It's Me**

* * *

Luna strolled through the streets of Canterlot, ignoring everybody's gazes. She guessed it was only natural, though, seeing as that Luna rarely traveled in broad daylight. She preferred the cool, damp air of the night over the harsh, dry light of the sun. There was just something about the reflection of her sister's light that was so calming, truly an element of its own.

Trotting hoofsteps from behind made Luna turn around. Twilight, looking quite happy again, was walking towards her, Flash Sentry a few feet behind.

"Good afternoon, Luna." Twilight said. Her amethyst eyes sparkled with a fierce sort of passion and curiosity. Clearly out of the castle to look for something. "What are you doing out today? Off to the market, I'm guessing?"

"Oh, no, I was just walking." Luna replied. Twilight headed off somewhere, and she followed, keeping up with her pace. "Sometimes I do that when I need to clear my head. By the way, why is Flash Sentry accompanying you?"

"Oh, that." Twilight said, walking a little faster. "Princess Celestia appointed him as my Champion, so he's my personal bodyguard, I guess."

"She feels as if you need extra protection?" Luna asked, grateful for the fact that Twilight was oblivious to the fact that a Champion was also a royal member's personal assassin.

"Yes, though I know the feeling. She just wants me to be safe, after all." Twilight said. She nodded her head in greeting to a few passing ponies. "After what's happened today, I almost didn't want to get out of the castle, but there was just something strange in the aura around everypony, I just needed to back off. So, I went to the library where I found this great potion for Spike I wanted to try out. It's a good dreams potion, I believe. He's been apparently waking up a lot in the middle of the night because of bad dreams. He says that I keep waking him up, but I don't remember anything like that."

"Really?" Luna asked. They were in the middle of the marketplace now, which was almost empty. Twilight probably had known this, as well, which was most likely why it was the first place she wanted to go to.

"Yes. But, lately, it's been happening more and more often." Twilight said. She stopped by a nearby stall. "Three sprigs of lavender and two bunches of rosemary, please." She pulled out a small purse, most likely a gift from Rarity, due to the way it shown and gleamed in the light. As Twilight started counting how many bits she needed to pay for, the owner of the herb stall stopped her.

"Oh, Your Majesty, you don't need to pay." She said. "It's quite fine." She was an older mare, her mane thin and graying.

"Oh, no, I insist." Twilight replied, putting the money down on the counter and grabbing the herbs, putting them into a small bag. She sighed loudly as she walked away, head held low in exasperation. "It happens every single time. Everypony wants to either give me a discount or give something away I should really pay for, with no charge. I don't even wear my crown when I go to the marketplace and this still happens..." She opened her bag, showing Luna the crown, tucked in neatly with a pad of paper, a quill, and a small book. She took out the pad of paper and quill, checking off two items on her list. "I'm glad I don't have to go through that to get wolfsbane. I actually need to go the Everfree Forest for that, since nopony wants to grow it, for some reason." She jumped into the air and began flying, when she realized that Luna was still on the ground, Flash Sentry looking up at her.

"So, is there anything else going on?" Luna asked as Twilight landed a few feet away. "With whatever's happening to you?"

"Well, it feels like I'm out of my body whenever it happens." Twilight said. "Except I can't see or hear anything. It's almost as if I just...passed out, all of a sudden. It's strange, because I couldn't find anything in any of the books on medical problems in the library."

"Yes, that is rather strange." Luna replied.

There was a strange pause between with the three of them.

"Do you not want to go yet?" Twilight asked, walking over. "I mean, if you have to do anything...either of you...I can wait to get the wolfsbane."

"No, it's nothing like that." Luna said. "Why don't we just take the train instead? You staggered a little before landing. Are you feeling alright?"

"I...I thought I saw something." Twilight muttered. "Something written underneath the water in the fountain."

"What did you see?" Flash Sentry spoke up.

"'It's me.' I saw the words 'it's me' written in the fountain." Twilight answered, shaking a little. She jerked her head up as static filled her vision. Somebody stood in front of her. No, it was more like a limp slump more than anything. They had a dull golden coat, and their eyes were hidden from view by their sloppy, dirty mane. From what Twilight could see, there was no discernible Cutie Mark. A faint outline was on their flank, their left back leg bent outwards rather awkwardly, but it might've also been an old scar, as the pony seemed to have several. What looked like to be part of a broken off horn poked through the dingy mess of a mane.

The two stared at each other, until Luna walked over to Twilight and brushed her mane back slightly. The movement made Twilight look up, her eyes wide and shaking with fright.

"You were staring off into space." Luna explained.

"You...you didn't see it...?" Twilight asked. "There was a strange pony there a second ago...not moving, or anything..."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Your Highness?" Flash Sentry asked. "Perhaps you should just go back to the castle. We'll have someone else get the wolfsbane for you."

"I'll get it." Luna said. "Twilight, perhaps it'd be better for you to return to the castle for now. You seem...distant and unfocused. You should get some rest and forget what happened earlier this morning."

Twilight nodded, and Luna flew off, leaving her and Flash Sentry alone. They walked through the still silent streets, the sky growing darker from rain clouds.

"You know you don't have to follow me all the way back." Twilight said. They stopped by the fountain to rest for a while. She gazed into the water, focusing on the movement of it spiraling down into the pool.

"Well, Princess Celestia's orders were to keep a close eye on you and guard you in whichever ways possible." Flash Sentry replied. He scanned the area, which was deserted. The clouds in the sky were getting darker every few minutes, and soon, rain fell softly.

"Well, what if I wanted to just be alone?" Twilight asked. "In order to keep you safe from harm...from myself..."

"You think you're a danger?" Flash Sentry asked. Twilight nodded. "To just others, or to yourself, as well?" She didn't respond. "Well, which one is it?"

"Why are you talking to me like this?" She asked. Her mane, now glistening from the now pouring down rain, covered her eyes from view. "We've never talked. Ever. Why are you so talkative now?"

"I just want to get to know the pony I'm protecting." Flash replied. "Is that so wrong to do?"

Twilight looked up, her mane still covering her eyes. "Perhaps. If you knew the real me, you would be too afraid to even look at me. I'm a monster, Flash. A horrible monster...a murderer. I wonder...will she haunt me? The pony I killed? Is she the one I'm always seeing in the static of my vision, always saying 'it's me'? Will she always watch me like this? I wonder..." She paused for a moment, thinking. "But, still, it seems...hazy. Like a dream. I'm not sure if I really did it myself. It seems that my other side has struck again, with the real me, this me, trapped as a witness." She turned to face her Champion. "I have a voice inside my head, you know. Not a voice that's my thoughts, but an actual voice. We talk a lot, especially at night, when I'm watching the moon in the sky. This morning, I was screaming at that voice to stop, to make everything go away, to save her, but the only thing the voice said was 'you can't.' 'Save her,' I called out. 'You can't.' The voice replied. Funny how that works, doesn't it? Whenever it seems you do everything wrong, something right comes out of it, and when you do everything right, something wrong comes out of it in the end."

Flash started to walk back to the castle.

"I thought you were supposed to protect me and keep me safe." Twilgiht called out to him. He stopped. "What are you doing just walking away?"

Flash turned around and saw that she was using her magic to create a shield from the rain, her eyes solemn. "Do...do you remember what you just said? About me knowing the real you?"

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked. She lowered her shield and walked over, letting the rain fall on her. "I never said anything like that."

* * *

Luna walked through the Everfree Forest, looking around. The mud made it hard to walk around, and the rain was coming down in a thick curtain, mist curling around the trees ominously. She wore a thin brown cloak she had gotten before leaving for Ponyville, which blew about her in the wind, the hood staying on. She arrived to a large grove of wolfsbane, where she saw someone standing in the distance.

"Hello, there, Luna, last I saw you, you were quite weak." They said, walking over to her. "Now you are stronger, so you walk in, and for what do you seek?"

"Hello, Zecora." Luna greeted, bowing her head to the zebra. "I could ask you the same thing. I need wolfsbane for Twilight. She's trying out a potion for her friend Spike."

"Ah, yes, I have not seen Twilight in quite a while." Zecora replied, walking with Luna. "How does she fair, since her latest trial?"

"She's doing...alright, I suppose." Luna said, gathering some wolfsbane and putting it into her bag. "I'm troubled by how she's doing, to be honest. She seems to be suffering from strange hallucinations, and goes from one personality to another."

"That doesn't sound familiar to you?" Zecora asked. They walked back to her cottage. "Don't you think she's going through the same thing you went through?"

"Twilight's not being corrupted." Luna said shortly. "She can't be. It's impossible for her to be at this point. If she was, then we'd be seeing the signs earlier, rather than all of them appearing instantaneously. It's something else." She said farewell to Zecora, and walked back through to Ponyville. "Could it be possible...that it's spreading again...?"

* * *

She walked around the school statue for what seemed the hundredth time. Nothing out of the ordinary. Finally giving up, she left, leaving the other girl watching her on top of the statue alone. It was raining, moderately hard. The girl pulled her drawstring on her sweater a little tighter. It was unusually cold that night, and she had just had to be out there to watch the other girl with her crazy observations. She just wasn't sure what attracted her to the school, and the stupid statue. There was nothing of interest at all.

A woman stepped out of the statue, wearing a thin brown cloak around her shoulders. Her long, midnight blue hair blew softly in the wind. She collapsed onto the ground, muttering what sounded like 'it's me' over and over again. She looked up to the sky, her eyes vacant and dim. The girl walked around the statue.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked. The woman turned around and stood up, startled. "Sorry. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

"No, it's just that...I needed to clear my head for a bit." She replied. "I just...need some time alone...and maybe it'll go away..."

"You idiot." The girl muttered. "That only makes it worse. Here, try this." She threw a small bottle to the woman, which she caught. "My sister's got the exact same thing as you. That stuff works miracles on her."

"How do you know that?" The woman asked.

"It's in your scent." The girl answered. She turned away, then added, "Speaking of which, you'd better get out of here before anybody from your dimension's gone."

"How...?" She asked again. "How do you know...?"

"Your scent is just a little different from the Luna here." The girl said, then jumped off the statue and walked off into the night without another word. The woman walked through the statue again, putting the bottle in her bag.

She would need it for Twilight.


	5. Arc 1, Set 1, Chapter 4

**Beginning Arc**

** Set of Normalcy **

**Chapter 4: Horrible consequences**

* * *

Twilight trotted briskly alongside Flash, smiling slightly. Flash, however, was quite silent as he escorted the princess back to her room.

"Well, this is it." Twilight said happily. "Um, thanks for, well, taking me back to my room and all. I'll just be going now..."

"Your Majesty, wait." Flash quickly replied. "I was rude to you for leaving you in the rain. Forgive me." He bowed his head deeply.

"There's nothing to forgive, Flash." Twilight replied. "And you don't need to be so formal around me, either. Just because we're in Princess Celestia's castle doesn't mean we're not friends."

"But, I barely know you..." Flash said quietly. Twilight lifted his head up slightly, causing him to gasp in surprise.

"You talk to me as if you do, though." Twilight replied, then went into her room, and screamed. Flash galloped in after her, and gasped again in shock as he saw in front of him a large bloodstain in the middle of the room, the remains of Spike dragged and scattered around the area.

Twilight collapsed, tears streaming down her muzzle as she tried not to scream again. Loud sounds of feedback and more flashing of the words 'it's me' appeared before her, which only made the static filling her mind all the more loud. Flash took her out the room and closed the doors, holding her close.

"Make it stop..." She whispered, then began shouting it as she shook violently. Twilight's voice soon began to echo throughout the halls, repeating those three words.

A sudden jolt of magic then ran through Twilight's body, its aura glowing yellow. Her eyes widened, then closed as she fainted, falling forward. Princess Celestia walked over to Flash, who immediately bowed.

"You were to watch over her. Did I not make that clear to you?" Celestia asked.

"This was not to her. Her dragon companion has been brutally killed." Flash answered, rising. "I was not expecting the reaction to be so..." He paused, searching for the right words. "...Extreme."

"I told you that her mental state was deteriorating." Celestia rebutted. "Did you not believe me?"

"No, I did. In fact, this was solidified as truth when she began seeing things that weren't there and talking of another half of herself that she can't remember."

Celestia didn't answer.

"Your Majesty?" Flash asked. Celestia was still ignoring him, just staring at something beyond him in disbelief. "Are you alright?"

Celestia shook her head and walked away, telling Flash to get Twilight situated in another room, in a different wing of the castle. She walked as fast she could, trying not to look as worried as she really was. Not really paying attention to the direction she was going, Celestia began to think, reflect even. On the outside, it seemed that Twilight was suffering from sort of corruption, similar to Luna's long ago. However, the symptoms of corruption were appearing much faster with Twilight, and were triggered by the Storyteller and her death.

All of that was ignoring the strange visions, though. Luna had told her about the strange vision of seeing the words 'it's me,' and at the time, she had paid no attention to it, thinking it was merely Twilight's magic growing stronger. However, seeing Twilight's reaction to Spike's murder made her realize that it was nothing like that now. Sure, her magic was growing stronger, reflecting in the expanding of her aura, but the visions were something else entirely. Something that may have been causing the strange fluctuations of her magical capabilities.

Celestia stopped at the edge of the rose gardens, the wind blowing the sweetly scented petals towards her. "Why are you spying on me all of a sudden?" She asked, not bothering to turn around.

"I knew all that was going on with you." The pony standing behind her said calmly. "I was never spying on you to begin with."

* * *

Flash Sentry stood watch in front of Twilight's bedroom door. She had finally asleep, deep into the night, after crying and mourning over Spike. Nothing had strayed towards the young princess' door, but it was never too bad to be extra cautious, especially after all that had happened.

From inside the room, there was the soft squeak of the springs in the mattress, then soft, gentle hoofsteps walking away from the door. The soft sound of the balcony door being unlatched, and the wind taking it and the curtains hanging over the window out from their original position. Flash opened the door slightly to see Twilight standing on the balcony, looking up at the stars. He thought she was just simply stargazing, until she started to speak.

"This is unbearable..." She said, her breath coming out in ragged, misty gasps from the cold night air. Mist curled around the alicorn gently, gracefully. "All this pain...it's unbearable..." She finally collapsed onto the balcony floor, her wings outstretched on either side of her. "How could anypony go on like this, day after day of nothing but suffering...?" She paused for a moment. "On purpose. You're telling me that somepony would actually put themselves through being so helpless and weak on purpose?" Another pause. "I thought as much. She did strike me as suspicious after a while." After staying silent for a while, she finally spoke again, bitter and impatient. "You know, you're getting on my nerves right now. I'd appreciate it if you just shut up." Twilight walked over towards her room again, closing the blacony doors and latching them. "I don't particularly care for what you're saying at the moment."

Flash opened the door all the way. "Um, Your Highness, is there something wrong?"

Twilight looked at him. "No, everything's alright for now. I just...I just wanted to see the stars." As she said this, she tied the curtains on the balcony windows to the side. "It's so enclosing when you're just looking at a bunch of walls."

Flash nodded. "I see." He took a nervous step forward. "Um, is it alright if I join you, then?"

"I don't see why not." Twilight replied. "From the angle where I'm sitting, you can see so many at once..." Flash sat down next to her and laid his head on her shoulder, and she laid hers on top. "When I'm stressed, or scared, I turn to the stars. When I was younger, I did that a lot, too. I told myself that one day, maybe I'd powerful enough to move them, all on my own..." Her eyes slowly closed, and her breathing became the light rhythmic pattern familiar with sleep.

"One day, Twilight, maybe you will be powerful enough to move the stars..." Flash whispered to her softly. His eyelids kept drooping down, and he finally closed his eyes, as well, and fell asleep, the two leaning on each other for support.


End file.
